Joan Baez savors success, political change

The legendary folk musician and protest singer was a vocal critic of Bush throughout his administration, but she also has frequently cited him as her "greatest publicity agent," as dissenting times have reminded audiences of her work.

Still, if you think the end of Bush's second term was even slightly bittersweet for Baez, think again.

"Fortunately, things have picked up (in my career) just exactly at the time that he left," Baez says. "I'm not worried. I'm pleased with the status of the musical aspect of my life and ecstatic about the changes in Washington at the moment. Things seem to be in pretty cheerful shape."

Adding to Baez's good mood is the critical and commercial success of her latest album, Day After Tomorrow, recorded in Nashville with producer Steve Earle and commemorating her 50th year as a performer.

"I love (working in Nashville)," Baez says of the sessions. "It goes back to the beginning of time, way back. This one was the most successful of the visits in a long time. You sort of find your direction by the time you're 68 (laughs)."
One of Tomorrow's most striking moments comes in her heart-wrenching take on Tom Waits' "Day After Tomorrow," told from the perspective of a disillusioned soldier. Looking back on the last decade, Baez says she can be more driven to create and perform in periods of unrest, but that unified moments are equally inspiring.

"I've chosen the places that I go in the world, usually because it's at a time that's difficult for the people there. Since I was about 13 or 14, the inclination was always to sing for something, for something that had nothing to do with money and limousines, but had everything to do with people who had less than I had. I was and am most comfortable singing when it's a context that includes people in need, people that can't speak for themselves. Now, at this moment, when things are looking up, I also feel very connected, as though, you know, I did all those things all those years, and wow, maybe this is a little payoff at the moment."